Staff development is a complex and critical concern for all MIS managers. Multiple viewpoints and conflicting Interests can make it nearly impossible to determine what development and training to provide. Management needs a rational, overall perspective of staff development on which it can base important decisions. This article provides such a foundation by examining staff development In light of Increased productivity and overall organizational growth.

Strategic planning has been criticized as a waste of time and effort because organizational changes and shifting priorities render such plans useless. This column argues that such criticism is ill founded. Sound strategic planning weathers change and benefits everyone within an organization.

DBMS technology and product offerings are changing so quickly that few practitioners can stay abreast of current trends. Vendor claims of relational capabilities and the emergence of fourth-generation languages axe not always clear indicators of what DBMS products are best for particular operating environments. In this article, six of the most frequently asked questions about current DBMS and 4GL technology are cleared up for the concerned MIS professional.

To be a truly effective corporate resource, the Information center must do more than simply train users and provide access to data; It must also provide problem-solving, consulting, and referral services. To fulfill this expanded role, the Information center must have a staff of talented people who possess the right blend of technical skills and business savvy.

There are three forces behind the need for a well-designed job rotation program in which MIS personnel are systematically exchanged with others in non-MIS areas: a history of poor relations between the MIS department and the rest of the company, the rapid growth in the use of computers by non-MIS staff, and the development of new ways of exchanging ideas and products between MIS staff and users. This article defines these new modes and describes a job rotation program along with its potential benefits.

As data collection and data processing technologies mature, the attention of MIS professionals is shifting from the need to process to the need to inform. MIS professionals must recognize the diverse needs of computerized information users and design systems that provide users with the information they need in the form they find most usable.

Abstract As end-user computing becomes increasingly important in all kinds of businesses, many organizations are responding by installing information centers. This study, based on a survey of 25 diverse organizations within a large metropolitan area, investigates the services, user decisions, problems, and successes of their information centers. The results should prove useful to information center managers and MIS executives attempting to cope with the growth of end-user computing in their organizations.

Productivity has rapidly become the watchword of the 1980s in MIS departments—the constant subject of systems-related periodicals and books, products, and services. Such emphasis gives rise to two major issues. First, productivity has meaning only within the context of corporate and departmental goal structures. Second, productivity must strike some balance between efficiency and effectiveness. This article explores these concepts and examines one company's application of a structured approach to productivity measurement.